One delightful aspect about bike riding with a large group is that every ten minutes or so, you find yourself riding next to someone different. (I guess I should only speak for myself. Others may say the one annoying thing about riding in a large group is riding next to me!)

It was a Coppertone day—we could feel the cool breeze blowing off the Pacific, the sun shining warm on our arms and noses—spinning south on Pacific Coast Highway through Seal Beach, Huntington Beach, and on to Corona Del Mar. This perfect day was about as good as it gets on earth.

Most conversations on the bike are not significant. Most have to do with how many miles you clocked that week or what preferred concoction you had in your water bottle. But a conversation with one man started something like this: “Next year, I’ll have made enough money to retire. (This was pre-2008; they were managing a thriving business in mortgage banking…you get the picture.) And then, I will get in even better shape, ride my bike all day, everyday, take it easy and go on long vacations!” Such were the daydreams of one 40-year-old cyclist: cruising up to the sunset years.

I listened, contemplated for a moment the sober reality of my future, my children’s future…and felt a twinge of envy. He and his wife were youngish (40 is young to me now), newly married, with one adorable, very privileged daughter.

Their voices rose and fell as they talked on—so very pleasant, like a sailboat headed off to Catalina. The miles ticked on my odometer. They talked, and I tried to imagine what it’s like to have a sense of such financial security…sigh…all blue skies, endless stretches of palm-tree-lined roads, pleasant conversations on bicycles, and postcard sunsets—with me holding an ice-filled glass with a cute little umbrella.

It’s at times like this that the Holy Spirit will gently nudge or shake you back to truth. “Get a grip, girl. Is that the extent of a life well lived? Then what? What about 10 billion years into eternity? Will a fat 401K provide what you will need that far into the future?”

At this point, I couldn’t help myself. I am a pastor’s wife and frankly sermonizing is, well, irresistible at times. “Wow, I guess you’ve been thinking about your future. Hey, this reminds me of a story that Jesus once told.” I couldn’t see if he rolled his eyes behind his Oakleys or not, so I continued. “Jesus said there was this guy who’d made quite a fortune for himself. So much so that he planned to build even bigger warehouses so he could expand his business, kick back, and take life easy. Only, headed around the corner, there was one problem he hadn’t counted on. You see, that night God said to him, ‘Tonight is your last night, and now who will get the earthly wealth you have acquired?’

“And the guy dies without ever realizing his dreams on earth and worse yet, he had nothing to show for his life, in eternity. Then Jesus said, ‘So it is with anyone who may be rich in this life but isn’t rich in God’s eyes.'”

There was an uncomfortable pause and then, a moment later, the light changed. The group picked the pace back up; the conversation was over. It can be like that; as John Lennon sang, “Life is what happens to you when you’re busy making other plans.” Unfortunately for this guy, just a year later the economy went in the tank and so did his plans to retire.

Proverbs 23:5 says, “Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone, for they will surely sprout wings and fly off to the sky like an eagle” (NIV). I’m not saying saving for the future isn’t wise. It is. But it’s foolish to think only about here and now.

I have had an image in my mind lately, a picture that reminds me of how quickly time passes. It is a handful of pearls being dropped casually, rhythmically, one by one by one, from our fingertips. These pearls (each of us are given an undisclosed number) are slipping every day—precious, irreplaceable. So before the next pearl slips through your fingers, ask yourself this question, If this were my last day on this earth, what matters most? Would you need to make some drastic shifts in your value system?

Remember to assess your values in the light of heaven’s economy. Are you rich towards God? What does He prize most? Whatever it is that the Spirit of God may reveal to you, I hope and pray you won’t waste another precious pearl.